MD Marie

We first noticed science-fiction author MD Marie and her steampunk style when she discussed “The Saints of Winter Valley,” her multi-cultural steampunk story featuring four women of color, during Friday’s Black Panel. Naturally, we hopped over to her booth and got more details.

Where You Can Find Her: Booth 1623Where You Can Find Her Online:Saints Of Winter ValleyTwitter feed and Facebook page.What’s The Story?: “It is steampunk, even though it’s futuristic,” Marie says about Saints, which is set in the year 2118. “The story is post-global warming, so people have reverted back to a simpler, but extravagant time, because resources are scant. Most of the planet is underwater because of global warming. The United States is actually divided into two separate countries.”On the future of multicultural steampunk: “I see it going very far. It’s kind of touch-and-go with the general audience, but in the steampunk genre, it’s very popular. My characters, my story, are very popular. I see it getting stronger, and going very far. I just need everybody to catch up with us.”

As a supplement to our two-part San Diego Comic-Con preview, enjoy this look at some of the creators of color who’ll be at the convention — some in panels, some on the floor, but all should be on your radar after the weekend.Continue reading →

Earlier this week, Lucasfilm announced the addition of two more actors to the cast of Star Wars Episode VII. We do not yet know who the two relatively unknown actors — Pip Anderson, who’s British, and Crystal Clarke, who’s African American — will play in the movie, but I’m guessing their roles must be substantial enough to warrant a press release about their casting. If their characters are indeed prominent, Clarke will join John Boyega and Lupita Nyong’o in making this “the blackest Star Wars ever.”

Still, every time breaking Star Wars casting news comes across my feed, there’s always one name that I hope to see in the headlines:Ming-Na Wen.

Race, Culture, and Identity in a Colorstruck World

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Racialicious is a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture. Check out our daily updates on the latest celebrity gaffes, our no-holds-barred critique of questionable media representations, and of course, the inevitable Keanu Reeves John Cho newsflashes.

Latoya Peterson (DC) is the Owner and Editor (not the Founder!) of Racialicious, Arturo García (San Diego) is the Managing Editor, Andrea Plaid (NYC) is the Associate Editor. You can email us at team@racialicious.com.